PUDUKOTTAI:
Four stone sculptures, believed to be from the early Chola period,
have been discovered near a tank on the outskirts of Sithupatti
village in Annavasal block recently.

Maheswari Sculpture

The sculptures of `Nagaraja,' `Kaumari,
`Chamundi' and `Maheswari' were found by the Curator of the
Government Museum, Pudukottai, C. Govindarajan, during an
exploration. The village, located between Narthamalai and Rapoosal,
is around 20 kilometres from here.

The idols were found lying inside a bush close to the tank with a
portion partially buried in the sand. Mr. Govindarajan said, going
by the features, the statues belonged to the 10th century early
Chola period.

All the statues are about two feet in height and one-and-a-half feet
in width. The faces were flat with less ornamentation. The `Nagaraja'
idol has a five-headed serpent behind the head. The right hand is in
`abhaya mudra' and the left on the thigh. The four-handed `Kaumari'
idol with `karanda magudam' has an `aksha malai' on the left upper
hand with `sakthi ayudham' in the right.

The `Maheswari' idol with `jadamagudam' also features an `aksha
malai' in the left upper hand and an axe in the right. The `Chamundi'
idol with `jadabaram' has four hands. The right hand is in `abhaya
mudra' and the left is placed near the knee. The weapons are not
clear on the other two hands. All the statues are in `sukhasana'
postures. Surprisingly, there are no temples in the vicinity of the
site. The museum authorities have informed the district
administration about the finding and sought permission to move the
idols to the District Museum. The museum has 20 stone statues
belonging to the early Chola period brought from Narthamalai,
Kodumbalur and Thiruvengaivasal.